Chargers changing perception of JPS football

They have a roster with four seniors with SEC scholarship offers. Their record shows a 14 wins and zero losses. Folks who follow football are aware of the talent at Callaway High School, but the skepticism still pervades.

"Preseason perception was most JPS teams are not disciplined, don't have really good football programs or coaches really don't know much about football," said senior running back Kendrick Catchings.

"I don't think they respected us the way they should have and now they see the outcome of hard work and dedication," said senior athlete T.J. Washington.

Their practice is equal parts football fundamentals and boot-camp conditioning with sprints and up-down's in drenched soil. The heavy rains have flooded their practice field, they were squeezed off the game field they share with Belhaven University, yet they slosh through unkept grass and puddles at a languishing field south of campus in preparation of the state semifinals.

"We got one goal: to go to state," said Washington. "We don't care where we got to practice; gotta practice at my house, gotta practice at your house, we don't care."

"We really don't like shortcuts. We like to feel that pain during workouts," said Catchings.

"We're doing this not just for us but for the city and our community," added Washington.

Callaway will play on the road versus Oxford High School in the MHSAA 5A state semifinals on Friday at 7 p.m.

THEY HEAR THE EXALTION OF THEIR COACHES...THEY HEAR THE EXHALE OF THE MAN BESIDE THEM...THEY'VE ALSO HEARD THE BACKHANDED COMPLIMENTS FROM THE PREP FOOTBALL COMMUNITY, SURE THERE'S ATHLETES BUT IT'S JPS FOOTBALL BUT IT'S JPS FOOTBALL THE TALENT IS OMINPRESENT...WHETH ER THE STABLE OF GAME-BREAKING RUNNING BACKS, MATCHUP NIGHTMARES OUT WIDE....OR THEIR ATTACKING DEFENSE...BUT IT'S THE CONTINUITY OF THE COACHING STAFF AND BELIEF AND SO WE'RE HERE ON A DREARY TUESDAY, THE TEAM SQUEEZED OFF THE TURF FACILITY AT NEWELL FIELD DUE TO BELHAVEN SOCCER, AT ONE OF THE MORE LANGUISHED FIELDS IN THE CITY...AN OBSTACLE NO SUBURBAN PROGRAM WOULD DEAL WITH BUT FOR CALLAWAY IT FUELS THEIR DRIVE